CRACK

Crack is a smokeable form of Cocaine that's made into small lumps or rocks. It's called crack because it makes a crackling sound when it's being burnt. It's a stimulant with short-lived effects and it's properly addictive.

ID: Crack is also known as rocks, wash, stones, pebbles, base, freebase.

Appearance and use


A rock of crack is about the size of a raisin. It's usually smoked in a pipe, glass tube, plastic bottle or in foil. Most people take it this way and it's known as freebasing. Although it can be injected.

Cost

A rock costs between £12 and £20 although it's sometimes sold cheaper by the slice or as a 'clubbing rock' for about £10.

Purity

Crack is cocaine, baking soda and water.

The effects

  • Crack has the same short-lived effects as cocaine but they're much, much stronger.
  • The effects are immediate, peak for about two minutes and last about 10 minutes.
  • Crack makes users feel alive, exhilarated, confident and wide awake. It kills all feelings of pain, tiredness and hunger.

But the flip side is:

  • After the 20 minute high comes a long, low crash which can be associated with massive cravings to take more.
  • The high can come with hallucinations, huge mood swings and massive paranoia.
    Some people get aggressive or violent.
  • The crash makes people feel sick, tired and depressed.
  • Regular users look excited but nervous. Heavy users have trouble sleeping and feel sick quite a lot.
  • Heavy crack users may take heroin to try to dull the cravings, which can increase the risks.

Chances of getting hooked

Regular crack users can quickly become physically and psychologically dependant. This is a difficult drug to control.

The risks

  • Crack users have died from overdose. High doses can raise the body's temperature, cause convulsions and respiratory arrest. Risk of overdosing increases if crack is mixed with heroin, barbiturates or alcohol.
  • Cocaine in any form can be bad news for anybody with high blood pressure or a heart condition.
  • Too much smoking crack can cause breathing problems and pains in the chest. Smoking anything damages the lungs.
  • Using a lot can bring on a seizure or a fit.
  • People who use crack and coke regularly often develop serious problems with anxiety and paranoia. It's also a known cause of panic attacks.
  • Because the effects wear off so quickly, cocaine and crack are expensive drugs. Falling under the spell of crack could leave the richest person bankrupt.
  • Because of the addictive nature of crack there is a strong link to crime as users seek to fund their habit.
  • Very large doses can cause death from heart or respiratory problems but it's rare.
  • Large or frequent use of crack tends to knock sexual desire on the head.
  • If there have been previous mental health problems crack could bring those problems to the surface again. If a close relative has had mental health problems there might also be an increased risk in some users.
  • Injecting any drug can cause vein damage, ulcers and gangrene. Dirty or shared needles and other injecting works can help the spread of HIV and hepatitis.
  • It's easier to overdose injecting.
  • Injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin, known as a 'speedball' is one of the most dangerous cocktails you can put in a human body.
  • Taking crack when you're pregnant can damage your baby. Coke causes miscarriage, premature labour and smaller babies and may cause congenital abnormalities. Babies born to mothers who keep using throughout their pregnancy show withdrawal syndrome.

The law

Crack is a Class A drug - illegal to have, give away or sell. Possessing crack can get you up to seven years in jail. Supplying someone else with it can get you life and an unlimited fine.

Fact: Passing drugs among friends is supplying in the eyes of the law.

Fact: A drug conviction could stand between you and your ideal job.